In October 1980 de Nationaw Organization for Women identified what became known as de "Big Four" drough decwaring dat "Pederasty, pornography, sadomasochism and pubwic sex" were about "expwoitation, viowence or invasion of privacy" and not "sexuaw preference or orientation".[15] One of de more memorabwe cwashes between de pro-sex and anti-porn feminists occurred at de 1982 Barnard Conference on Sexuawity. Anti-pornography feminists were excwuded from de events’ pwanning committee, so dey staged rawwies outside de conference to show deir disdain, uh-hah-hah-hah.[16]

Toward de end of de 1970s, much of de discourse in de feminist movement shifted from de discussion of wesbian feminism to focus on de new topic of sexuawity. One of de primary concerns wif sexuawity was de issue of pornography, which caused a great divide among feminists. The two recognized sides of de debate were anti-pornography feminism and "pro-sex" feminism.[17] One of de major infwuences of anti-pornography feminism was its predecessor, wesbian feminism.[citation needed] Anti-pornography movements devewoped from fundamentaw arguments dispwayed by wesbianism, such as de notion of patriarchaw sexuaw rewations.[17]Ewwen Wiwwis described dese rewations as being "based on mawe power backed by force."[18] From dis perspective, pornography is created excwusivewy for men by men and is a direct refwection of de man-dominant paradigm surrounding sexuaw rewations.[17] Anoder idea taken from wesbian feminism by anti-pornography groups was dat sexuawity is about creating a compassionate bond and a wasting rewation wif anoder person, contrary to de bewief of de purewy physicaw nature of sex.[19]

In her book, Pornography: Men Possessing Women, Andrea Dworkin argued dat de deme of pornography is mawe dominance and as a resuwt it is intrinsicawwy harmfuw to women and deir weww-being. Dworkin bewieved dat pornography is not onwy damaging in its production but awso in its consumption, since de viewer wiww mentawwy internawize pornography's misogynistic portrayaw of women, uh-hah-hah-hah.[17]Robin Morgan summarized de view of anti-pornography feminists dat pornography and viowence against women are winked in her statement, "pornography is de deory, rape is de practice".[20]

The anti-pornography movement has been criticised by sex-positive feminists as a repression of sexuawity and a move towards censorship.[17] In her articwe,Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radicaw Theory of de Powitics of Sexuawity, Gaywe Rubin characterizes sex wiberation as a feminist goaw and denounces de idea dat anti-pornography feminists speak cowwectivewy for aww of feminism. She offers de notion dat what is needed is a deory of sexuawity separate from feminism.[21] In XXX: A Woman's Right to Pornography, Wendy McEwroy summarizes de sex-positive perspective as "de benefits pornography provides to women far outweigh any of its disadvantages".[22]

The pornography debate among radicaw and wibertarian feminists has focused on de depictions of femawe sexuawity in rewation to mawe sexuawity in dis type of media.[23] Radicaw feminists emphasize dat pornography iwwustrates objectification and normawization of sexuaw viowence drough presentation of specific acts.[23] In contrast, wibertarian feminists are concerned wif de stigmatization of sexuaw minorities and de wimited right to practice sexuaw choice dat wouwd be hindered widout pornography.[23]

The main wocus of de sex wars' debate on sadomasochism and oder BDSM practices was San Francisco. Women Against Viowence in Pornography and Media was founded dere in 1977. Its first powiticaw action was to picket a wive show at a strip cwub featuring women performing sadomasochistic acts on each oder, in wine wif its stated aim to end aww portrayaws of women being "bound, raped, tortured, kiwwed or degraded for sexuaw stimuwation or pweasure".[24] As weww as campaigning against pornography, WAVPM were awso strongwy opposed to BDSM, seeing it as rituawized viowence against women and opposed its practice widin de wesbian community.[25] In 1978 SAMOIS was formed, an organization for women in de BDSM community who saw deir sexuaw practices as consistent wif feminist principwes.[26]

Anoder debate of de feminist sex wars centered on prostitution. The women in de anti-pornography camp argued against prostitution, cwaiming it is forced on women who have no oder awternatives.[neutrawity is disputed] Meanwhiwe, sex-positive feminists argued dat dis position ignored de sewf-agency of women who chose sex work, viewing prostitution as not inherentwy based on de expwoitation of women, uh-hah-hah-hah. Carow Leigh notes dat "The Prostitutes rights movement of de earwy 1970s evowved directwy from de women's movement", but adds: "The women's movement in de U.S. has awways been ambivawent about prostitutes".[27] The powarized views of feminists on prostitution have affected deir positions on de rewated issue of human trafficking, which is freqwentwy for de purpose of sexuaw expwoitation, wif anti-prostitution feminists taking up de position of abowitionists and sex-positive feminists dat of reguwationists.[28]

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The powarization of feminist ideowogy during de sex wars has had wide ranging effects. Exampwes incwude, according to Liu (2011), "The confusion in de interpretation of de definition of human trafficking is a conseqwence of opposing feminist views on prostitution, uh-hah-hah-hah."[28]

Third-wave feminist writings promote personaw, individuawized views on de gender-rewated issues focused on during de feminist sex wars, such as prostitution, pornography and sadomasochism. In particuwar, de dird-wave view of pornography is dat dere is no greater meaning oder dan which de actor or consumer gives it.[citation needed] Items such as sex objects and porn, identified by some second-wave feminists as instruments of oppression are now no wonger being excwusivewy used by men but awso by women, uh-hah-hah-hah.[29] Feminist critic Teresa de Lauretis sees de sex wars not in terms of powarized sides but as refwecting a dird wave feminism inherentwy embodying difference, which may incwude confwicting and competing drives.[30][31] Meanwhiwe, critic Jana Sawicki rejects bof de powarised positions, seeking a dird way dat is neider morawwy dogmatic or uncriticawwy wibertarian, uh-hah-hah-hah.[30]

^Ewwen Wiwwis, Lust Horizons: The 'Voice' and de women's movement, Viwwage Voice 50f Anniversary Issue, 2007. This is not de originaw "Lust Horizons" essay, but a retrospective essay mentioning dat essay as de origin of de term. Accessed onwine 7 Juwy 2007. A wightwy revised version of de originaw "Lust Horizons" essay can be found in No More Nice Girws, pp. 3–14.